Brain volumes and Val66Met polymorphism of the BDNF gene: local or global effects?

• Published in: Brain Structure and Function 2009-10, Vol.213 (6), p.501-509
• Main Authors: Toro, Roberto, Chupin, Marie, Garnero, Line, Leonard, Gabriel, Perron, Michel, Pike, Bruce, Pitiot, Alain, Richer, Louis, Veillette, Suzanne, Pausova, Zdenka, Paus, Tomáš
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Anatomy & physiology; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Brain; Brain - anatomy & histology; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor - genetics; Cell Biology; Computer Science; Female; Function & Behavior; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Genetic Variation; Genotype; Genotype & phenotype; Human Brain: Structure; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Interviews as Topic; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Medical Imaging; Methionine - genetics; Neurology; Neurosciences; Organ Size; Polymorphism; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Protein Precursors - genetics; Surveys and Questionnaires; Valine - genetics; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1863-2653; 1863-2661; 0340-2061
• DOI: 10.1007/s00429-009-0203-y

A common Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism in the Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) gene coding the Val66Met substitution in the pro-BDNF protein has been associated with a number of behavioural and neuroanatomical phenotypes; the latter include, for example, regional differences in volumes of the hippocampus and prefrontal grey matter. Here, we show that the observed regional differences may not stem from a localised effect of this gene. Our analysis of regional brain volume in a cohort of 331 adolescents indicates that the Val66Met substitution has a global effect on brain volume, and that the observed local differences are to be expected if brain allometry—the covariance pattern of regional brain volumes—is taken into account.